Driving mechanism.



T. c. PROUTY.

' DRIVING wEcHANlsm. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. \9!4.

Patented Mm". 2G, 1916.

l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Whit@ TATE@ A tlftill THEODORE C. PROUTY, OF AURORA,VILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY lVIESNE ASSXGNMENTS, TO THE VAN SICKLEN COMPANY, A CORPORATGN 0F ILLINOIS.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 245, 1913.,

Application filed March 28, 1914. Serial No. 827,910.

Be it known that I, 'lincooonn C. Pnon'r, a citizen ol `thel United States, residing at Aurora, iu thv ftnty ot' Kane and State ot Illinois, have invented certain new and use- ,tul Improvements in Driving.;` Mechanism, ot'

which the following is a sptwitication.

'liiis invention relates to improvements in driving mechanism, and has for its object to provide a new and improved form of mechanism especially adapted tor driving speedometers and the like. l'lit-herto in connection with such devices the driving` meehanism has consisted ol' zgears and pinions` secured to a rotating wheel of a vehicle and l'lexible shatt and has been utilized to transmit rotations to' the indicating'-mechanism.

1n my invention l provide au improved torni of mechanism comprising an actuating member adapted to be attached to the drive shattotl a vehicle and provided with means eueaeiug a gearavhieh in turn is carried upon a shatt adapted to operate a ilexible shalt.

Another feature ot my in ventiou is the location ot this actuatable member and gear in the transmission casino` ot the vehicle where it is protected from dust, dirt, water and the like, and owing to the presence ot the oil and grease therein is constantly lu bric-ated.

My invention t'urther coinxemplates the use and arrangement. ot' a new form ot actuatable member adapted and arranged to coact with a gear, as will be 'further described below.

Still another object ot' my invention is to provide in combination with transmission and clutch mechanism, a new and improved torni ol actuatable member and speedometer drivingr mechanism.

These and other objects will be set torth and explained in the 'followingr specification and aecon'ipanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the transmission casing, part of which is broken away to show my actuatable member' in place;

Fig. 2 is a t ansverse section through the casing showing' the driving;- mechanism tor a speedometer;

Fig. 3 is a. plan view of my improved ac` tuatable member, the driven gear being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 isa plan View partially in section oif a modified form showing the driving member formed integral with the clutch spring sleeve.

Like numerals roter to like elements throughout the drawings, in which 10 designates generally the transmission casing having top portion 10a and lower portion 10" adapted to be secured together by bolts or the like. Located in'this transn'lission cas ing is the driving' mechanism of a vehicle which need not be described at length, as

.it is well known to those familiar with the art. This driving` mechanism comprises` among` other elements, the sliding collar 1l` slidably mounted upon the driving shaft 12 ot' a vehicle. A collar 13 is lined to the driving shaft 1Q to rotate therewith and mounted upon this collar is an inturned flange 11 and spring sleeve 1l. Adjacent its other portion this sleeve is formed with the outwardly extending flange 11", and a clutch spring 15 extends between the rear tace et' collar 11 and the flange let", this spring` being coiled around the sleeve ,14, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The general operation of the mechanism is well known and it need only be mentiwed that when the. collar 11 is moved rearwardly ou the driving shaft 12, the. latter is not, driven by the engine shatt and when the collar 11 is released, the sprint;` 15 will aetnate the same to operate suitable clutch mechanism to operatively connect the driving shaft 12 to the engine shatt to rotate therewith. The spring; sleeve 11 is adapted to rotate with the drivingn shatt 1:2, and consequently with the rear wheels ot a vehicle so that by arranging,` my speedometer driving, mechanism t( :oact with this dri ving shatt 12, rotations of the rear wheels may beI suitably indicated, either as to speed or number, or both as desired. For this purpose, in the embodiment ol' my invention shown in Fig. 1, provide what I term an actuatable member 1G, interposed between the spring' 15 and the flange 14S to rotate with the latter. This actuatable member 1G comprises in ,etteet a shell and is formed with the angularly disposed flange 17 from which projectthe segments 18 comprising, in effect, teeth. These teeth are arranged successively about the periphery ot the flange 17 and extend from one edge thereof toward the other and lie substantially in planes inclined 'with respect to the axis Ot rotation of the member. The rear edge ot' each of theteethy 18 is spaced from the front edge of' the adjacent tooth a distance which constitutes the pitch of the segments 18. Projecting through the casing 10a is the sleeve 19 having a flange 19t adapted to be secured to the casing in any suitable manner. Rotatably moiynted in the sleeve 19 is the shaft 2O provided with the bushing'll at one end thereof, secured thereto by the pin 22. This bushing carries a gar 23 located outwardly of the sleeve 19, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. At the other'end of the sleeve 19 is provided the bushing 23, there being a space in the sleeve 19 between the bushings 21 and 23. At the end of the shaft 2O opposite to that at which is located gear 28, is provided a male engaging member 20a adapted to coact with the female or socket member of a flexible shaft, not shown, these male and female members being held in engagement by the flanged collar 2d, in a well known manner. l y

The sleeve 19 is provided with. the apertures 19" therein, preferably located in position to aline with the pin 22 when it is desired to remove the same by driving it out and also providing access for lubricant from the casing into sleeve 19. The sleeve 19 extends inwardly of the casing 10, as

shown in F ig. 2, to position wherein the gear 23 will mesh with tooth segments 18 of the actuating member, as illustrated in Fig. 3, for example. The teeth E2?Y a of gear 23 are inclined similarly to the tooth segments 18 and are in mesh therewith, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be apparent-that the teeth 23 being constructed of a suitable pitch and meshing, as stated, with the segments 1S, when actuating member 1G is rotated With the driving shaft 12, the coactionfoi the successive segments 18 4with teeth 23a will operate to rotate the gear 9.3 and consequently the shaft 20.

. In Fig. 4 l have shown an aetuatable member 30, in which the actuatable member 16 is formed integral with the clutch spring sleeve 14 in effect, this member 30 being provided at one end with the inturned flange 3()a and at its other lend with the outwardly extending flange 30b from which extends rearwardly the portion 3()c in turn carrying the outwardly extending tooth segments 18.

It is obvious that my invention is .sus-

. ceptible of many modifications and changes,

4and I do not wish to be restricted to the showing or description beyond the scope of 'the appended claims.

What l claimis l. An actuating member comprising a flanged disk, a plurality of segments projecting from said flange and arranged successively therearound, said segments being inclined with respect to planes through the axis of rotation of said member.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a gear having a flange formed thereon, said flange being formed into a plurality of segments inclined with respect to planes through the axis of said gear.

In combination with a rotatable shaft, a member secured thereto to rotate therewith, said member having a peripheral flange and a plurality of segments formed on said flanges, a toothed member arranged to coact with said flanged member in such wise that the rotation of the latter by means of the engagement of said segments thereof with the teeth of said toothed member will operate to rotate the latter, a shaft secured to said gear to rotate therewith, and a sleeve surrounding said shaft.

ln combination with a driving shaft, an actuatable sleeve located therearound to rotate therewith, said sleeve being provided with ,a reverscly bent portion at one estremity, and outwardly projecting teem formed upon said reversely bent portion, saidteeth being adapted to eoact with a gear to rotate the same.

ln combination, a driving shaft, a. sleeve mounted thereon, an actuatable member located around and arranged to rotate with said shaft, a spring located around said sleeve, and pressing against said actua'table member, the latter being provided with a seat for one end of said spring and being formed with means to engage a gear.

6. ln combination, a drive shaft, a collar secured to said shaft, a sleeve slidably mounted on said shaft, an actuating member located around said shaft and having aflange engaging said collar, said member being provided with a seat adjacent one tremil'y, a spring located around said sleeve having one end seated in said'seat, said member being provided with outwardly ex tending tooth portions adapted to engage I and rotate a gear.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

THEODORE C. PROUTY. Witnesses:

HENRY A, PARKS, HELEN D. FREUND.. 

